A MAN who gave life-saving CPR to his fiancée in the middle of the night has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

Richard Tucker, 47, from Crowborough, is one of more than 50 finalists in the annual St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes awards.

These are given to people who have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to saving lives.

The drama for the family happened last October when Mr Tucker woke to find Bridget Massey’s heart had stopped.

Ms Massey, 49, a company director, was making strange noises and when Mr Tucker tried to wake her up, he realised she had turned a strange colour and had stopped breathing.

Mr Tucker shouted to Ms Massey’s daughter Anna to call 999 and started carrying out CPR on her.

He kept going until a community first responder arrived on scene, who took over the resuscitation and then used a defibrillator to shock Ms Massey’s heart back into a rhythm.

With around six paramedics now on scene, they managed to establish a pulse and she was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton in a critical condition.

Mr Tucker said: “Seeing her lying there lifeless meant I absolutely had to do something to help her.

“Even now I think it’s a miracle I work up. I’m such a deep sleeper that it’s very rare for me to be woken by anything, but I’m so grateful on this occasion I did.”

Ms Massey, a normally fit and healthy mum of two, remained in an induced coma for around four days.

Her family and friends were told it was touch and go whether she was going to survive and they were warned that if she did she may have other health issues, such as brain damage.

However about 24 hours after the hospital team brought her out of the coma, she began to speak.

She had an internal cardioverter defibrillator fitted and three weeks later was discharged from hospital and is now doing well and back at work.

The reason for her cardiac arrest remains unknown.

Ms Massey said: “Where most would panic, Richard took control and performed what I genuinely believe to be life saving CPR.

“Had he not done this, I am under no illusion that I would not be here today. I owe him my life.”

Mr Tucker had first aid training while working on the railways and has also completed a first aid at work course.

He said: “Having been in a situation where knowing these skills has saved the life of someone who means the world to me, I simply can’t stress enough how important it is to learn first aid.

"If I hadn’t known what to do, goodness knows what the outcome may have been.”

The awards ceremony takes place in September in London.